The present invention relates to dust collection mechanisms for use with chop saws.
Chop saws are power tools that have a saw assembly pivotally mounted to base or table. The user can then move the saw assembly downwardly in a chopping action to cut a workpiece. One type of chop saw is the sliding chop saw, which has a saw assembly slideably connected to the table so that the saw assembly can move along a horizontal direction, increasing the cutting capacity of the chop saw.
It is preferable to provide a dust collection mechanism for the sliding chop saw to collect any dust resulting from the cutting operation. Prior art solutions include disposing the dust collection mechanism on the table or base. This dust collector remains stationary on the table, even though the sliding saw assembly would move towards and away from the dust collector.
Another prior art solution proposes disposing a dust collector on the sliding saw assembly so that the dust collector remains stationary relative to the saw assembly. However, typical prior art solutions may not collect large amounts of the dust because of their location on the sliding saw assembly.
An improved dust collector is proposed. The dust collector comprises an upper duct, and a flexible lower flap connected to the upper dust duct, wherein the lower flap is resilient. Preferably, the upper duct has a substantially U-shaped cross-section, whereas the bottom of the duct is open. The lower flap is disposed in the open portion of the inlet.
Additional features and benefits of the present invention are described, and will be apparent from, the accompanying drawings and the detailed description below.